Lockdown (Orca Soundings) - Softcover

Tullson, Diane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551439166 ISBN 13: 9781551439167

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers, 2008

Synopsis

Some days it's just easier not to go to school at all.

Adam has been slacking off lately, but today he stuck around to see his girlfriend. When Josh, who has been bullied mercilessly, brings a gun to school, the building is locked down and Adam is forced to risk everything to save himself and to find Zoe before Josh does. Calling on reserves he didn't know he had, Adam could end up a hero―or a victim.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

About this title

About the Author

Diane Tullson has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a trained technical writer. She is a member of the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable, Children's Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia and the Writers Union of Canada. Diane has been nominated for many awards, including the Stellar Award and the Arthur Ellis Award. Diane lives near Vancouver, British Columbia.

From the Back Cover

School violence, friendship, responsibility

Reviews

Readers will see how good people can make bad decisions in this trim novel about a student who, frustrated by the abuse of his peers, brings a gun to school and rampages the halls, sending the place into emergency lockdown. Interestingly, the author avoids placing the blame on that one person: I didn’t mean it’s your fault. I mean, no one stepped in. So maybe it’s everyone’s fault. And anyway, Josh isn’t crazy. He’s just different. Crazy and normal are two terms the students (and readers ) struggle to define as the story spins out. The issues are realistic, but things are tied up a bit too quickly, and there’s not enough insight into the characters’ backgrounds to place their behavior in firm context. It’s made clear early on that the shooter’s rage is the result of accumulated abuse, but readers looking for depth may not buy the premeditated nature of the young man’s actions. The language will suit less skillful readers, who will find this story of a teen-related current issue quite accessible. Grades 6-8. --Rebecca Jensen

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

It's like the entire school floods into the stairwell. People pound down the stairs toward us. Their voices clamor, frightened voices. They push and shove toward the blocked exit door, trying to escape the school.
Like fish in a bucket, that's what we are. My mouth goes dry. A locked stairwell seems like a good place to kill a lot of people at one time. I grab Zoe's hand.
"Come on. We have to go back up."

Edition details

• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551439166
• ISBN 13: 9781551439167
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128